Easy Stencil Tutorial Using The 3M Mobile Projector

When I first heard about the 3M Mobile Projector, something didn’t quite click in my head. Even though the name clearly says MOBILE, I still thought it would be close to the size of a normal projector.

This thing is tiny.

That’s your standard iPhone 4 on the left. The projector is the white device on the right. See what I mean? It’s barely bigger than the phone!

Plus, it does cool stuff, like projects what’s on your phone screen onto almost any surface. That’s how Levi and I wound up watching the Smurfs on the ceiling.

Seeing the Smurfs on my ceiling sparked a little creative inspiration. The photo I snapped above looks kind of like an outline. An outline is something you can trace. With the projector, I could put it on just about any surface…like a bedroom door.

If you’ve read my About page or checked out my front lawn décor, you know I have a thing for pirates. I’m not much of an artist, but with the 3M Mobile Projector, I didn’t have to be. In about 10 minutes, I had a super cute wall stencil added to Levi’s bedroom door.

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies

I used some craft paint, a paper plate as a palette, paintbrushes, an iPhone, and the 3M Mobile Projector.

Step 2: Project your image on the wall and get to work

This is the ridiculously easy part. All I had to do was Google an image to use, save it to my phone, connect the projector, turn it on, and voila! Instant stencil.

The next time I do this project, I will probably trace my stencil onto the wall right away, then do the painting. Levi kept trying to climb the ladder I was using as a tripod for the projector, and every time he bumped it, I had to move it back into place and get the image lined up all over again.

Step 3: Turn the projector off and admire your handiwork

For a quick 10 minute project, I think it turned out pretty cute. I plan to add some dragons or treasure chests or something fun like that down the road, along with Levi’s name. For my first attempt, I think it went pretty well and thanks to the 3M Mobile Projector, I didn’t have to mess with any crazy sticky cutouts or traditional stencils.

I have so badly wanted a projector but didn’t realise they could be small like this! When I was in high school, every few years we were allowed to paint out lockers with approved designs and we used overheard projectors to shine the design in the right spot, so I know how useful they can be for decorating doors, walls, etc!